With the release of Resident Evil: Death Island in summer 2023, longtime fans of the series are thrilled to see the return of many beloved faces from yesteryear. Not only is the golden boy Leon Kennedy pulling double duty between this and Resident Evil 4 Remake just around the corner, but the master of unlocking herself makes her triumphant return: it’s Jill Valentine, everyone!!
Her appearance in this upcoming film has been the cause of much discussion, and it serves as a reminder that Jill has been among the more fashion forward characters to roam the streets of Raccoon City. So what better time than the present to rank her vibes throughout the series?
This list will be restricted only to major canonical entries, and at the exclusion of unlockable alternate outfits. We will also only be taking a peek into her digital interpretations, so live-action Jill stans will have to wait for another day. May we suggest September 28th… daylight?
8. Resident Evil: Death Island
We commence, oddly enough, with her most recent appearance (and the basis for which this list is being made) smack bang at the bottom of the pile. We’re not being contrary, we just have our reservations.
To be clear, Jill looks absolutely fantastic in the trailers we’ve seen so far, brandishing her iconic hairstyle and attire from Resident Evil 3 Remake. It’s not the execution that falls short, but the concept that she would look this way to begin with. Death Island is set in 2015, six years after the events of Resident Evil 5, which would make Jill approximately 41 years old. Despite this, she seems to be just as youthful as she did in 1998’s Resident Evil 3, if not more so.
The lore provided states that her T-Virus infection has slowed her aging, which is a disappointing yet understandable caveat. The question we’ve got, however, is why she hasn’t changed her clothes or hair in the meantime? Her brief sojourn as a blonde with a ponytail in RE5 is completely disregarded, and further, she doesn’t appear to have any sign of scarring from Wesker’s mind control implant — which, based on the cutscene after its removal, should have at least had an impact on her neckline.
Anyway, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. We’re so happy to have our girl back, we just wish that she had more of a Sally Field in the early 90s vibe. Let her try out a trendy cardigan.
7. Resident Evil 3
First, I complained about Jill having her modern RE3 apparel in Death Island. Now, I’m throwing shade at the outfit that made it iconic in the first place? I suppose I’ve just been infected by the C-Virus; the C is short for controversy, before you jump to conclusions.
So let’s talk about the day she came busting out of the wall like the Kool-Aid man while Raccoon City burnt to cinders around her. This game is set right in the thick of the infection spreading throughout town, and according to her iconic opening speech, Jill is taking a last stand to make her escape.
What does this highly trained special operations agent elect to wear for such a dangerous mission? Why, a tight skirt, knee-high boots and a tube top, of course! Because if she’s likely to die, she might as well make for a particularly stunning zombie. Being undead is no excuse for being uncool, after all.
It’s understandable that she would be in more casual attire than her S.T.A.R.S. uniform, but what functionality does this ensemble have? Is the sweater around her waist for show, or does it serve some practical purpose? Is all this exposed skin really a good idea around flesh-eating monsters?
This look has stood the test of time, usurping her beret-wearing days by a long shot. We won’t argue against its cultural impact, it simply doesn’t seem in-character for her to put form over function when the stakes are this high. Ada, yes. Jill, not really.
6. Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 toyed with our emotions by implying that our beloved Jill sandwich had been lost forever, a tragic fatality in a botched raid thanks to pesky old Albert Wesker.
It turns out to be a ruse, however, and after her identity is concealed through a rather nifty plague doctor mask — what potpourri would Jill use, I wonder? My money is on cardamom — it is revealed that she is under Wesker’s spell, courtesy of a mind control device lodged quite rudely upon her clavicle. In the proceeding encounter, Chris and Sheva must hold Jill steady in an attempt to free her, while she leaps and bounds about the place like a cat trying to avoid taking its medication.
Jill definitely rocks the blonde hair and slinky bodysuit, but once again, we’re left puzzled from a narrative perspective. When last we saw her fall to her presumed doom, she had her usual brunette hair and BSAA uniform. The follicle fallacy is cleverly explained through a test subject file, suggesting that the tests being conducted were affecting her pigmentation, but what about the body suit?